The Split Horn Case Study

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According to Canadian Mental Health Association, approximately 8% of adults will experience major depression at some point in their life. Depression is an illness which not only effects a person emotionally, it also effects a person physically. Different cultures view depression different ways. The film ‘The Split Horn’ produced by Taggart Sigel and Jim McSilver, tells the tale of Chai Thao, a Hmong girl living in Wisconsin. Her and her family have encountered depression, but the way they go about it is quite different from the way the Western World would. The Hmong view of health is a more holistic/ spiritual view while the western world views health through a biomedical point of view. In Hmong culture, depression is a very cultural journey. The Shaman is involved, the persons family and the person who is effected. In Western culture, depression usually does not involve a religious leader, is a more emotional thing. Western Culture also is not …show more content…

For example, when Uncle Po got sick and was admitted into the hospital, a couple of the Hmong people decided to go visit him. When they went, they checked to see if his nose is broken, because a broken nose indicates if a person will die soon. They noticed he did have a broken nose, and knew he was going to die soon. They all started preparing for his death. The Hmong people have an extensive funeral for him, which involves a chicken so the chicken can help him find his soul in the afterworld (McSilver & Siegle). Hmong people rely heavily on culture and the area around them when it comes to health and wellbeing. In Western culture, people usually wait for the doctor to announce a person dead. They also do not send a chicken with that person so when the person finds their soul, the chicken can co. Western culture is heavily dependent on the doctors orders, as it is assumed that the doctor knows

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